Community groups in Surbiton have received a significant boost with grants awarded for a variety of vital projects, totalling £12,821.69. The Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee, during its meeting on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, approved funding for several initiatives aimed at enhancing the local community, with a particular focus on Christmas events and ongoing community projects.
The committee considered applications for Neighbourhood Community Grants (NCGs) and Councillor Ward Funding (CWF). For NCGs, applications had to meet minimum standards, including having a written constitution, demonstrating how surpluses are reinvested, a management committee of at least three members, a bank account in the organisation's name, at least two unrelated signatories for cheques, an accounting system, and no existing deficit that the grant would cover. CWF is at the discretion of individual Ward Councillors unless the budget is pooled. The agreed guidelines for both programmes are available on the Council's website.
Among the successful NCG applicants was the Surbiton Town Centre Partnership, which received £2,800 towards its planned Christmas event. This event aims to create a festive atmosphere in Surbiton Station and along the high street, featuring a Christmas market, family entertainment, a reindeer trail, and a window decoration competition. The Surbiton Town Centre Partnership also plans to identify a range of smaller projects for 2027 as well, and also look for potential sources of funding,
recognising that this is not all going to be council-funded, if any of it. We need to look wider at where we're going to get the money from.
They hope to ultimately establish STCP as a self-sustaining entity, possibly a community interest company similar to what New Maldon town-center has.
Voices of Hope were granted £3,000 for their Baby BRITE Box project at Tolworth Children's Centre. This initiative uses recipe meal kits to support vulnerable families with early years nutrition and weaning, with the goal of engaging them with local services. The funding will support ten families over a six-week period. The long-term goal for the project is for it to become a scalable, system-aligned solution to improving early childhood nutrition and reducing long-term health inequalities. The hope is that this funding will help establish the project as a base, with public health funding taking it to the next step. The project aims to run for ten to twenty families on a regular basis in each of the children's centres in the future.
Councillor Ward Funding (CWF) was also allocated for several projects. An amount of £6,532.03 was approved for the provision of two Christmas trees, one at the Surbiton Station roundabout and another in Tolworth at the junction of Ewell Road and Princess Avenue. An additional £1,140 was approved for a remote switch-on event for the Surbiton tree, organised by the Surbiton Town Centre Partnership.
Further CWF allocations included £1,681.66 for two new benches on the shopping parade on Alexandra Drive in Berrylands Ward, responding to resident requests for seating. The Alpha Road Residents' Association also received £1,000 to support their annual senior citizen trip to the Chichester Christmas market. The association is planning a trip for 30 senior citizens, maybe 34 depending on how the money goes.
The trip is advertised, and the coach is already half full.
Participants are senior citizens from the Alpha Road Residents' Association who express interest in the trip.
Finally, £750 of CWF was approved for a new bench in Vine Close, Berrylands Ward, to be installed in consultation with the council's housing team and ward councillors.
The total funding allocated for the projects discussed is £12,821.69:
- Surbiton Town Centre Partnership - Surbiton Christmas event: £2,800 (NCG)
- Voices of Hope - Baby BRITE Box project: £3,000 (NCG)
- Christmas Trees: £6,532.03 (CWF)
- New Benches on Alexandra Drive: £1,681.66 (CWF)
- Alpha Road Residents' Association: £1,000 (CWF)
- New Bench in Vine Close: £750 (CWF)
- Remote switch-on event for Surbiton tree: £1,140 (CWF)
